Incendiary projectile



W. L. CLAY AND A. H. HALLOWELL.

INCENDIARY PROJECTILE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30, I919.

.Paizenoed Nov. 7, 1922.

Patented Nov. 7, 1922.

UNITEDv STATES ATENT OFFICE...

WALLACE L. CLAY, OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY, AND ANDREW H. HALLOWEEL, 0F FRANKFORD, PENNSYLVANIA.

INCENIDIABY PROJECTILE.

Application filed January 30, 1919. Serial No. 274,076.

. (FILED UNDER THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1 883, 22 STAT. L, 625.)

To all whom may concern.

Be it known that we, VALLACE L. 'CLAY, lieutenant colonel, Ordnance Department, U. S. A., at present stationed at Franktord Arsenal, and ANDREW H. HALLowELL, resident to fit any size or form of fire-arm bore and of Frankford, Montgomery County, Penn.- sylvania, both citizens of the United States, have jointly invented an Improvement in Incendiary Projectiles, of which the following is a specification.

The invention described herein may be used by the Government, or any of its ofiicers or employees in prosecution of work for the Government, or by any other person in the United States, without paymentof any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to devices employed for eiiecting the commingling of inflammable gases or vapors to produce a rapid conflagration, more particularly of the buoyant gases of balloons and like dirigible structures, and has for one of its objects to produce a projectile having means for simultaneously producing an unobstructed opening in the balloon envelope and exposing portions of the charge of the projectile so that the vapors emanating therefrom will commingle with the gas of the balloon and produce a violent conflagration and destroy the balloon.

lVith these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain new and useful improvements hereinafter described and specifically set forth in the claims, and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the improved projectile complete.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the shell or jacket.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged diagrammatic detail illustrating the construction and arrangement of the severing attachment.

Fig. 4 is a detached side view of the closincr plug.

ig. 5 is an end view of the dividing plug.

The improved device is designed to produce a confiagration by effecting the union or amalgamation of a plurality of gases by the action of a projectile when penetrating the envelope or closure of one of the gases or compounds, and the invention consists primarily in providing the projectile with means for cutting out a portion of the enveltrance of air and the more certain comming,

ling of the gases.

The projectile may be of any required size comprises a shell or jacket formed with a cylindrical rear portion 10 and forward or pointed portion 11..v The jacket is, formed initially as shown in Fig. 2, with the rear end open and with a gas escape aperture 12 through the cylindrical portion, the aperture being initially closed by a plug of a substance fusible at low temperature, and

adapted tobe fused by the heat generated by ihe pzissage of the projectile through the gun arre Formed upon the pointed portion of the jacket 11 near its uncture with the cylindrical portion 10, is an annular rib or fiangelS having a cutting edge.

The cutting edge of the rib 13 terminates within the lines of the cylindrical portion of the jacket as indicated by the dotted lines, so that the cutting edge will not be injured by contact with the rifiing grooves of the gun barrel.

The body of the jacket immediately in advance of the rib is reduced as indicated at 15, to increase the width 01 the forward face of the rib and thus increase its eficiency.

The rear end of the jacket is closed by a plug 16 secured in position by spinning the material of the jacket over the rear end of the plug, as shown at 17 in Fig. 1. The plug is further secured by a cap or closing disk 18 of solder or the. like.

At its-forward end the plug 16 is reduced as shown at 19, and bearing against the Vance of the spacer member 20, and may be of any suitable substance or compound, for instance phosphorus, and the opening or aperture 12 communicates with the space surrounding the reduced portion 19 of the plug 16, While the channels 21 and the an- 1 nular space permit the emanations from the phosphorus to escape through the opening 12 when the closure thereof is fused.

Thedmproved device is designed more particularly for use in first penetrating a structure, for instance a balloon gas bag, and then igniting the gas or other inflating medium of the balloon to destroy it.

The projectile being fired from a ri'fied barrel is consequently rapidly rotated during its flight, andwhen it strikes its ob jective the rib or flange 13 tears an aperture in the envelope of considerably greater diameter than the body of the projectile, thus permittin a correspondingly larger quantity of air to enter.

When the projectile is fired, the heat generated by its passage through the gun barrel fuses the plug 12 and permits the entrance of air to cause the vaporization of the phosphorus. When the projectile strikes its objective, for instance the gas bag of a balloon, the point portion penetrates the bag, and When the flange I3 strikes the material of the balloon envelope it cuts out a circular section fully as large and frequently larger than the diameter of the flange, thus insuring the entranceof a suiiicient quantity of air to effect the proper 'commingling of the gases to produce the conflagration.

The presence of the flange does not interfere with the action of the projectile, or add materially to the Weight or the expense of manufacture. 4

Having thus described the invention What is desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An incendiary projectile comprising a jacket having a cylindrical rear portion and a pointed forward portion, said cylindrical portion having a gas escape aperture, and a severing flange upon the pointed portion of the jacket \Vlllll its cutting edge Within the lines of the cylindrical portion of the same and the material of the pointed portion reduced in advance of the flange to increase its Width.

2. An incendiary projectile comprising a jacket having a cylindrical rear portion and a pointed forward portion, and a severing flange upon the pointed portion of the j ackct With its cutting edge Within the lines of the cylindrical portion of the same and the material of the pointed portion reduced in advance of the flange to increase its Width.

WALLACE L. CLAY. ANDREW H. HALLOXVELL. 

